The Stamp Collecting Round-Up

Little Windows

2017-01-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Heath Heist

Melissa Scott Sinclair writes on the Richmond [Virginia] Monthly Magazine website, "Stamp collecting is not a pursuit for the young. How many children today have pen pals, or ever stick a stamp on a letter? "

Heath Heist, 39, partner in Alan Blair Stamp Auctions, however, is "optimistic that the art of collecting will persist." He goes on to say it’s “just beautiful and great, the artwork, the history, the stories. I love them too much to think it’s a dying hobby.”

Sinclair goes on to pen, "Chris McElfresh, a watercolor artist who photographs the thousands of stamps for auction, is the lone person who professes no interest in them. “It’s a piece of paper,” he says. “It’s, like, a square inch.”

“Yeah,” Heist says. “But it’s a piece of history.”

To read the entire article, click here.

David Bowie UK Royal Mail Stamp Collection Announced

2017-01-29T17:26:00.003-08:00

The late music icon David Bowie will be honored with the collection of stamps shown above on March 24 by U.K.'s Royal Mail.

The set features a mix of album covers and live images - marks the first time the Royal Mail has dedicated an entire stamp issue to an individual music artist or cultural figure.

According to the announcement posted on the Anti-Music website, "The only other music artists to have been honoured [sic.] with a dedicated stamp issue [by Great Britain] are groups, including The Beatles in 2010 and Pink Floyd in 2015."

Four stamps feature Bowie performing live on tours across four decades: 1973's The Ziggy Stardust Tour, 1978's The Stage Tour, 1983's The Serious Moonlight Tour, and 2004's A Reality Tour.

To learn more, click here.

Royal Mail Issues Alice in Wonderland Stamps

2015-01-14T08:26:00.005-08:00

England's Bath Chronicle reports, "The Royal Mail is issuing a set of Alice in Wonderland stamps to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Lewis Carroll’s classic children’s tale."

According to the paper's website, "2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, one of the most enduring stories in the history children’s literature.
To celebrate the anniversary, Royal Mail commissioned award-winning illustrator Grahame Baker-Smith, to illustrate ten key scenes from the story.The White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat and Alice herself are among the characters depicted in the stamps."

It goes on to say, "To coincide with their launch, Walker Books will be publishing a three-dimensional gift edition book with pages that fold out and artwork from the stamps teamed with excerpts from the original book.'

To read the entire article, click here.

The "Go-To" Guy to Sell Stamp Collections On-line

2015-01-04T10:42:00.001-08:00

Joe Cortese, 62, owner of eBay company NobleSpirit, is featured in an article by reporter Nick Reid in the Concord, NH, Monitor.

Cortese (shown here in his office)is eBay’s "go-to guy"for anyone who is looking to sell a stamp collection. With 150,000 sales under his belt since 1998, Cortese has a staff of 20 including 18 photographers according to Reid,

Cortese is quoted in the piece as saying, “That’s our unique competitive advantage.We take something, starting at a penny, which could be worth at least $3,000, but we’re taking enough photos so that the market can see what it is. We allow the market to arrive at what it believes the market value to be.”

According to the article, "Besides the photographers, there are also a couple of shippers – 65 percent of business is international – and a team of fact-checkers, who ensure the lots that are sent in for sale are what they purport to be. They compare minuscule details of each stamp against catalogs that point out the slight differences between different editions and note common forgeries. There’s also an IT guy, who designed software that streamlines the eBay posting process and gives the auctions a unified look."

To read the entire article, click here.

Reporter Visits National Post Museum

2014-12-16T08:39:00.002-08:00

DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG

Royal Mail Promotes Stamps on Side of Vans

2014-11-19T09:36:00.005-08:00

Linn's Stamp News reports in November, Great Britain’s Royal Mail began advertising its Christmas stamps on its postal vans.

According to the article, "In a press release dated Nov. 10, Royal Mail reported that the images of the stamps will be displayed on approximately 1,500 vans used in 26 towns and cities around the United Kingdom. The images were printed on adhesive vinyls and applied to the vans."

Linn's added that Royal Mail will also promote some of its other 2015 commemorative stamps on the vans.

Linn's quotes Andrew Hammond of Royal Mail as saying, “This is the first in what will be an on-going campaign to feature our special stamp programme across the country using our familiar red postal vans. The size and reach of the fleet should help create high levels of public awareness.”

First Female U.S. Postmaster General Named

2014-11-14T08:16:00.002-08:00

According to an USPS announcement, "The United States Postal Service Board of Governors announced today that Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Patrick R. Donahoe has decided to retire February 1, 2015, after 39 years with the Postal Service."

Replacing him will be Megan Brennan, USPS Chief Operating Officer, who will be the first female Postmaster General.

Brennan joined the Postal Service in 1986 as a letter carrier in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and began her management career as a delivery and collection supervisor.

Previously she was vice president of Eastern Area Operations. As the senior postal official she oversaw an area that encompassed Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Delaware, Kentucky, Central and South Jersey, Western New York and parts of Virginia and Indiana.

For more on this story, click here.

First Look at the U.S. 2015 Stamps

2014-11-08T16:22:00.003-08:00

Lloyd de Vries has posted the designs of some of the new stamps to be issued next year on his Virtual Stamp Club website.

Lloyd quotes Cindy Tackett, acting director of Stamp Services of the USPS, as saying, "“Our goal this year is as soon as we have philatelic agreements signed,” said Cindy Tackett, acting director of Stamp Services of the USPS. “We’re going to get the information out to you … Our goal is to get this information out to you as soon as we can."

Lloyd goes on to say Stamp Services is not announcing all the 2015 issues until it has reached 'philatelic agreements' with the appropriate estates and rights-holders and that the agency hopes to lock in dates and first-day cities much earlier this year.

To see the new designs, click here.

Shown above, one of stamps scheduled for release sometime in 2015 honoring the U.S. Coast Guard.

A Teacher with a Passion for Stamp Collecting

2014-10-13T09:19:00.001-07:00

Reporter Varsha Mohan writes on the New Indian Express website about high school teacher Mathew John who recently displayed his stamp and coin collection at his school.

Varsha writes, "Though Mathew has a wide collection, he takes special pride of the stamps and coins he has from the time of British rule through the 1950s."

Matthew, who was inspired to collect stamps and coins by his father and grandmother, is quoted as saying, “These are very valuable and just a glimpse can brief you about the history of the particular country. I feel so happy to be able to educate students through my collection."

To read the entire article, click here.

Stamp Chief Replaced

2014-10-09T09:40:00.002-07:00

Bill McAllister, Washington correspondent for Linn's Stamp News that "Susan McGowan, a public relations executive who was named head of the United States Postal Service’s stamp program in December 2012, has been replaced..."

According to Bill, "Spokesman Mark Saunders said McGowan was 'not ousted' from her stamp position, but had been detailed to another position in the marketing department. Cindy Tackett, a senior Stamp Services executive, was named McGowan’s interim replacement, Saunders said."

Bill goes on to pen, "There has been considerable turmoil within the Stamp Services office, which controls the stamp program, according to several current and former postal employees.The office also has come under fire from stamp collectors, especially first-day cover collectors, for the slow release of information about upcoming new stamp issues."

Shown above, Susan McGowan.

To read the entire column, click here.

5 Reasons Why Your Kid Should Collect Stamps

2014-10-08T16:39:00.002-07:00

A tip of the tongs to Gretchen Moody of the Education Department of the American Philatelic Society who tipped me off to an Associated Press story titled "5 Reasons Why Your Kid Should Collect Stamps."

While Gretchen (who is quoted in the article) can probably think of several hundred reasons why children should collect stamps, these are the 5 that reporter Melissa Rayworth came up with...

By collecting stamps...

1. Kids can develop patience and focus.

2. Kids develop expertise.

3. Kids discover stunning artwork and intricate graphic design.

4. Screen time is minimal, and optional.

5. A stamp collection can be personalized.

To read the entire article, click here.

For more information about children and stamp collecting, click here.

Jim Carrey Gets His Own Stamp

2014-08-23T11:55:00.002-07:00

Jay Bigalke writes on the Linns.com website, "Five funny Canadians are being honored Aug. 29 on new commemorative permanent stamps from Canada Post. The five stamps in the Great Canadian Comedians set pay tribute to Jim Carrey, Mike Myers, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short and Olivier Guimond."

All are living honorees except for Guimond, who died in 1971 according to Jay.

Jay goes on to say, "The stamp designs pictured with this article are Canada Post publicity images. The stamps were designed by Kosta Tsetsekas, Mike Savage and John Belisle of Signals, a design firm in Vancouver. Canada Post stamp design manager Alain Leduc organized the stamp project."

The stamps come in a booklet of 10. with each stamp repeated twice. A souvenir sheet is also available with all five stamps along with an uncut press sheet of four souvenir sheets.

To learn more, click here.

Underwater Post Offices Honored with New Stamps

2014-08-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Denise McCarty writes on the Linns.com website, "Underwater post offices of yesterday and today are featured on two recent stamp issues.The Bahamas commemorates the 75th anniversary of the world’s first undersea post office on four stamps issued Aug. 16. Vanuatu pictures its underwater post office, opened a little more than 10 years ago, on an unusually shaped self-adhesive stamp issued July 23."

Shown above, newly issued stamp from the Bahamas honoring the world’s first undersea post office and the pioneering underwater photography work of John Ernest Williamson.

To read her entire article, click here.

Stamp Collectors- No Fans of Pop Culture on Stamps

2014-08-09T23:48:00.000-07:00

"Harry Potter, Elvis and Bugs Bunny share one thing in common: Traditional stamp collectors are no fans," writes reporter Marianne Levine of the LA Times.

She goes on to pen, "Some philatelists say the committee that helps the postmaster general pick new stamps is favoring pop celebrities and fictional characters over cultural sites and historical figures, undermining a long tradition.

Ken Martin, executive director of the American Philatelic Society, a nonprofit stamp-collecting foundation that claims 44,000 members is quoted as saying, ""Harry Potter is a perfect example,"

"Why do you honor a British author's book?" Martin asked. "Wouldn't it be much more appropriate to honor something that reflects our country's heritage, not the product of another country?"

Levine concludes, "The answer, by all accounts, is money. Spider-Man and "Star Wars" stamps vastly outsell those commemorating the Civil War, insects and spiders, and Pacific Coast lighthouses."

To read the entire article, click here.

Why Stamps?

2014-07-08T09:25:00.002-07:00

The Kat Ran Press has released a new book, Why Stamps? by Ivan Chermayeff.

As part of its "Essays in Philatelics"series it focuses on the philatelic work of type and graphic designers. Other books in the series include Designing the Mentoring Stamp, Notes on Postage Stamps, Postage Stamps and Philatelic Atrocities.

According to a company press release, "A good graphic designer pays attention to small things, and there are few things smaller than stamps. Ivan Chermayeff has been paying attention. For almost fifty years the acclaimed graphic designer has been making collages—and in those collages stamps and mail have played an important role. Envelopes are heads. Stamps are eyes and lips. However, one could be forgiven for never having noticed this, as the whole in Chermayeff's collages is greater than the parts.

"In Why Stamps? Chermayeff calls attention to the parts with a brief essay on postage stamps and a selection of fourteen collages which use stamps and mail to the best possible effect. Also shown are two of Chermayeff's smallest cut-paper collages: Stamps for the USPS and Royal Mail."

For more information, click here.

History of Perforations

2014-05-08T10:02:00.002-07:00

Janet Klug writes on the USPSstamps.com website about the development of perforations on U.S. postage stamps.

According to Janet, "This technology came to the U.S. by way of Ireland, then England: First, a machine patented by Dublin inventor Henry Archer was used on the first perforated stamp (the Penny Red) around 1850. Then, four years later, British printers William and Henry Bemrose patented a rotary machine for separating stamps — a device that cut slots, or 'roulettes,' into the paper rather than holes.

"Meanwhile, in 1851 and 1855, Congress passed legislation that reduced and modified postage rates in the U.S. In just about a decade’s time, stamp use quadrupled. So the U.S. embraced the efficiency of perforating, beginning when two early stamp designers (or engravers) commissioned by the U.S. Post Office® Department purchased the Bemroses’ machine.

"Remarkably, that basic technology was used all the way up until the 1990s, when perfs finally gave way to die-cut stamps, held together only by their self-adhesive backing."

To read her entire article, click here.

Shown above, 1976 Mexican stamp showing a partial perforation gauge.

"Mona Lisa of the Stamp World" To Be Auctioned

2014-05-02T01:09:00.001-07:00

Stephen Colbert Comments on Harvey Milk Stamp

2014-04-23T08:12:00.002-07:00

The Colbert Report
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Match Factory to Lease Space to Microdistillary

2014-03-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Bellefonte, PA's Centre Daily Times reports space has been leased to Big Spring Spirits at the Match Factory - home of the American Philatelic Society (APS).

According to the article by Britney Milazzo, "...the microdistillery will make two kinds of whiskeys — a bourbon and a rye — a rum, vodka and gin. Corn, wheat and barley will come from local farms..."

APS Executive Director Ken Martin is quoted in the article as saying, "“We think this is going to be a good thing for the Match Factory. Any time we can see a new business that encourages economic growth, we see that as a good sign for Bellefonte.”

American Philatelic Society purchased the Match Factory in 2002. Since then it has actively sought businesses to occupy vacant space and now has 14 tenants.

The Big Spring Spirit renovation should begin at the end of May. Progress can be viewed on a webcam set up by the company at http://bigspringspirits.com/#contact

For more on this story, click here.

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/03/13/4081680/microdistillery-thinks-big-big.html#storylink=c

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/03/13/4081680/microdistillery-thinks-big-big.html#storylink

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2014/03/13/4081680/microdistillery-thinks-big-big.html#storylink=cpy

Free U.S. Postal History Booklet

2014-02-27T00:00:00.000-08:00

Want to learn more about the postal history of the United States?

A free copy of The United States Postal Service - An American History, 1775 to 2006 is available for download by clicking here.

20 Interesting Facts About The U.S. Post Office

2014-02-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

Ariane Lange posted on the BuzzFeed website 20 Facts That Will Shatter Your Perception Of The U.S. Postal Service.

Among these are...

- Although mail was delivered directly to individual houses starting in 1863, mailboxes or slots weren’t required everywhere until 1923. Mail carriers just had to wait at your door until you answered it!

- Mail took so long to travel west in the mid-19th century that Los Angeles didn’t find out California had become a state of the Union until six weeks after the fact.

[Editor's Note: California always has been and always will be a 'state of mind.']

For more interesting facts, click here

Jimi Hendrix To Be Honored on U.S. Postage Stamp

2014-02-25T00:00:00.000-08:00

A stamp featuring music icon Jimi Hendrix will be issued March 13 in Austin, Texas according to an article by Jay Bigalke that appeared in Linn's Stamp News.

Jay pens, "The pane of 16 stamps will look like previous Music Icons issues, but the arrangement of the individual stamps is different. A block of four of the Hendrix stamp, cropped from a full pane, is shown here to display the unusual “kaleidoscope” layout. Four such blocks comprise the pane, with pane selvage and backing that resembles a 45rpm record."

For more on this story, click here.

USPS Modifies Stamp Selection Criteria

2014-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Bill McAllister, Linn's Stamp News' Washington correspondent, reports, the 12 stamp subject selection criteria used by the United States Postal Service's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee has been reduced to 11.

"The newest version of the criteria drops the reference that stamp subjects will not be considered for 50 years after a subject has been honored," According to McAllister.

Bill goes on to say, "The newest version also avoids any mention of living people being placed on U.S. stamps or how long an individual must be dead before they can be placed on a U.S. stamp."

To read the entire article and for a list of the new criteria, click here.

Lunar New Year Stamp Artist Interview

2014-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

USPS Lunar New Year stamp artist Kam Mak discusses what went into creating the design for the Lunar New Year stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. He speaks to Pimm Fox on Bloomberg Television’s “Taking Stock.”

Forever Stamps Prove to Be a Good Investment

2014-01-31T00:00:00.000-08:00

Allan Sloan, senior editor-at-large, for Fortune reports on the CNN Money website, "In these days of manic-depressive financial markets, it's nice to be able to put your money into something that isn't designed to make you rich, but that at least is pretty much guaranteed to always rise in value. And that, on occasion, can post a nice tax-free gain -- most recently, 6.5% -- overnight.

He goes on to say, "No, I'm not talking about some esoteric investment product with six levels of derivatives, pages of unreadable disclosures, and fat management fees. I'm talking about … postage stamps."

According to Allan, "Forevers have risen in value by almost 20%, to their current 49 cents from the 41 cents that the Postal Service charged when it sold its first Forevers on April 12, 2007. More than a third of that value increase came on Jan. 26, when the price of a first-class stamp rose to 49 cents from the previous 46 cents: the 6.5% overnight increase..."

To read the entire article, click here.